Wanda Rockthunder’s life is dedicated to helping Indigenous Peoples in promoting healing and wellness. From positions with government and in boardrooms, to grassroots community work, Wanda’s experience as a trained facilitator, advocate, and educator guides her work. She appreciated the openness to understanding and incorporating Indigenous learning and ways within the SFU Beedie Executive MBA in Indigenous Business and Leadership.

My experience at SFU Beedie

“This is a personal goal of mine. One day, I want to obtain my PhD, and my MBA experience at SFU Beedie is a great steppingstone. SFU Beedie takes classes—such as Managerial Accounting—and makes them interesting by incorporating learning from an Indigenous lens. This approach does wonders for keeping learners interested and focused. I gain astounding knowledge, which I have already incorporated into my work and my everyday life.”

“As an educator and avid learner, the program has enhanced the way I teach and the way I observe the world. I am more aware of how I can teach and get learners to not only understand us as Indigenous Peoples and recognize what we offer society but also to be aware of our rights as Indigenous Peoples and the assertion of these rights in a positive, legal manner.”

My Journey

“I was on a path that was not leading me to the places I wanted to go. I needed and wanted more learning and education to enhance my career and role as an educator. I searched for a couple of years before I selected SFU Beedie. I chose it for its uniqueness in Indigenous content, and I love the way it has incorporated this into my learning.”

“Each class piques my interest and is relevant to Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations when it comes to business and leadership. I have already applied my knowledge in my work as an educator, and to the curriculum and daily discussions in class.”

Highlights

“I like that we are respected as Indigenous Peoples and that SFU Beedie has worked to create this program. I have never felt more comfortable in my learning and feel fortunate to be at such a prestigious university and to be flourishing at SFU Beedie.”

“I have volunteered over the years at community organizations, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and for my children’s sports activities. This volunteerism has enriched my education—I witnessed and experienced the struggles of our Indigenous Peoples first hand through these activities. For example, we didn’t just coach a ball team; we created an Indigenous Youth Girls Softball team for mainly disadvantaged Indigenous youth who had no means to pay for expensive league fees. We also incorporated Indigenous Life Skills into this program to enhance their understanding of themselves and assist with their self-esteem.”

“Experiences such as this put me on a path of learning about how we, as Indigenous role models, can better teach and serve our Indigenous society. I have real-life examples of to incorporate into my learning, so it is just not “book knowledge” that I am getting out of this program.”

Where I am today

Wanda is currently a Business Instructor at the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies. She plans to continue her business education and pursue her PhD.